Verizon Media Adds Features to Monetize, Track Streaming

Verizon Media said has added new capabilities to its video streaming platform that will help its clients grow audiences and better monetize content.

In advanced advertising, Verizon Media Smartplay Pre-Bid allows server=side header bidding that opens up digital video supply to more potential buyers.

“Until now there has been a generally accepted order of operations in filling ad supply that has not always maximized the value of a publisher's inventory,” said Ariff Sidi, general manager at Verizon Media Platform. “Prebid addresses that by calling out to demand partners in an open and transparent fashion, maximizing value and providing transparency in the bidding process.”

Verizon Media will also be providing more data to clients about errors, delays, timeout and tracking issues that could result in lower ad completion and performance.

Live streaming capacity has also been increased by Verizon Media. It has enhanced its ability to ingest and encode live content in 4K HDR. The company said recent testing of concurrent viewers reached the 10 million viewer level.

A new Real-time Streaming feature, currently in beta, enables live event streaming with sub-second latency.

“Verizon Media’s massive global network and platform enables content publishers to reach broadcast-sized audiences with their OTT platforms and services. Customers are already using our streaming platform to reach millions of concurrent viewers anywhere in the world,” added Sidi. “At Super Bowl LIV, we were able to demo in-stadium experiences that saw latency faster than a television broadcast. This capability has opened up new use cases for interactivity, gamification, trivia, wagering, and 5G enabled experiences.”

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.